‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Not even… Chanbe…

It’s Christmas eve and I feel weird. Normally we’d be sitting down at Nanny and Grandpa’s dining room table, and would probably even be onto our 2nd course by now. We would have had a few glasses of wine and whatever brew my brother had brought along to share. We would have eaten fresh prawns, turkey, chicken, sausage, pierogi, potato salad, veges, salad etc etc etc. And we’d have Christmas pudding and Nanny’s brandy custard to look forward to.

And then it would be time for presents. Nanny and Grandpa had taken to giving us money in an envelope the last few years, but would also give us something else that we could unwrap. Hubs would get a business shirt of some sort, and I would get some soap and/or a towel and/or a nightie and/or something for the kitchen. Nanny would say to me “be careful with the envelope”.

And then we would give our presents to them – usually a photo or series of photos, and they would have their place in the loungeroom, or “hall of fame”, by the New Year.

And then we would sit and chat and laugh and Nanny and Grandpa would look around and enjoy the banter. We have so many wonderful memories of Christmas eves, and although it’s sad there will be no more at Nanny and Grandpa’s, we look forward to starting our own, new traditions. Like this year, we are sitting here at the house at Woody Pt, with our friend Ben, having a few drinks and enjoying the cool breeze and the intermittent rain.

I wonder what next year will look like…